Teams

Wildcats smack Crusader JV 81-54 in men’s hoops action

POPLARVILLE --- For the second time in a week, Pearl River’s Wildcats crushed the William Carey University junior varsity squad 81-54 here Monday in Shivers Gymnasium. Ironically, the score of the two teams’ first meeting was practically identical as PRCC was an 81-53 winner Nov. 4. The River improved to 3-0 overall, while the Carey JV dropped to 0-5. The Wildcats jumped out to a 21-9 lead midway in the first half, but the Crusaders answered with an impressive 16-4 scoring run over the next three-plus minutes to tie it up at 25-25 with 6:32 left before the break. Carey against knotted things at 27-27 before Pearl River closed out the half with a 9-2 run to lead 36-29 at the break. The Wildcats never looked back and built their lead to as many as 30 points three times in the second half.Kenny Patterson paced the Crusaders with a game-high 18 points (three treys), while Wesley Walker scored 14 (four treys), Deenn Seal eight (two treys, four assists), Trevon Cole and A.J. Murphy, four each; and Darryn Cook-Kelley, Tanner Cumbest (four rebounds), and Taylor Singleton (seven assists, five rebounds, two piece. Lester Crosby of Franklinton (La.) High led The River with 15 points, including a five-for-five effort at the foul line, three blocked shots, and a game-high 14 rebounds. Quintarius Porter out of Forest Hill High in Jackson added 14 (eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks, three steals), Bryant McGee of West Marion High 11 (12 rebounds), Kaven Bernard out of Assumption High in Napoleonville, La., 10, Irishma Bowie of Morton High nine (three treys, three steals), Rakeem Esco of Canton High eight (four steals), DeAngelo Coleman (three assists) of South Pike High Sullivan Bell of Picayune High, six each, and Devontae Foye of Hattiesburg High two (three steals). Jeremy Hollimon of Gulfport High, who led the Wildcats in their previous meeting with the Crusaders with a game-high 22 points, was held scoreless Monday but grabbed three steals. Carey was 5 of 8 (62.5 percent) at the foul line to Pearl River’s 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) effort, while the Crusaders hit 41.7 percent (20 of 48) from the field to the Wildcats’ 41.4 percent (29 of 70) effort. From three-point range, the WCJV as nine of 28 (32.1 percent), while PRCC was three of 17 (17.6 percent). The River dominated the boards with 55 rebounds (30 offensive, 25 defensive) to Carey’s 22 (six offensive, 16 defensive), while the Wildcats committed 15 turnovers to the Crusaders’ 24.Pearl River’s women and men return to action Thursday when MACJC non-division foe Mississippi Delta plays host in Moorhead for 5 p.m. (women) and 7 p.m. (men) games before travelling to Holmes, another MACJC non-division foe, in Goodman for 5:30 p.m. (women) and 7:30 p.m. (men) contests Monday, Nov. 18.